"These 'holy thugs' wearing dark sunglasses, baseball caps and guns tucked in their belts might have been petty criminals during their lifetime, but are now considered modern-day Robin Hoods."

Having had more than a passing acquaintance with magic/religious practice of this kind, I have to say that the article reads a little melodramatic. But it was interesting to see a phenomenon I'm only familiar with in Mexico and Central America expressed differently, further south.

18 Responses to “Venezuela: Ancestral thugs become modern-day saints”

This seems like of a sensationalist type of documentation on this religious expression. I’m from Venezuela and i can tell you this isn’t normal. Obviously this is the type of thing you’d expect to find is extreme marginal places where crime is rampant, but there’s no greater context as to how this fits with the larger religious beliefs of the country.

This is interesting. As an adherent of an African derived spiritual tradition I always like reading about what my cousins are up to. Something else very interesting, Brazilian Umbanda and Kimbanda, they both work in part with a spirit type known as Exu/pomba Gira, and the statues of them all mostly show diabolic imagery, pitchforks, horns, etc

heh, i was thinking somewhat along those lines. minus the religious bit, is it really so different in america? i’ve never personally understood the fascination/veneration of sociopaths, be they famous gangsters, rap musicians, sports figures, or politicians. women line up to write fan letters to convicted prisoners, and men see them as epitomes of masculinity. i just don’t get it.

The way I think its somewhat described in the vid and in an article I read is:
These guys know better than anyone what the poverty stricken Venezuelans are going through, crime wise, so if you were in some sort of trouble, and you had the choice of asking for help: a an uncaring cop who probably views you as a threat and who enforces laws that seem to you to be more about maintaing general order and protecting the interests of those in power, a priest who is out of touch with your lowly troubles and who wouldn’t be able to take extreme measures, or a gangster who is familiar w your world and the particular predicaments found with-in it and who might be swayed to your side with a gift of some sort?

I am from Venezuela too, and I have seen similar stuff since I was a kid, 20 years ago. Machera, in Méida, has been popular for ages. It has indeed gotten worse, and now these cults bless weapons and stuff, but it has been there for a long, long time.

I’m not sure they have statues of him, as that’s usually limited to “important” saints, plus it’s not a very mainstream thing. They pray to him, though, to ask for protection from the police (the story goes that the Frente Vital was chased by the police into a house and then executed as he surrendered, so criminals and their mothers ask him for bullets to miss them).

He was an interesting person. Besides his code of conduct (which some claim more current burglars don’t have) he shared a lot of his earnings with poor people from his shanty town. Once he sequestered a truck from “La Serenisima” (one of the largest dairy manufactureres) and distributed all the milk and yoghurt among the families, because he wanted poor kids to get a proper nutrition.

I’m not sure they have statues of him, as that’s usually limited to “important” saints, plus it’s not a very mainstream thing. They pray to him, though, to ask for protection from the police (the story goes that the Frente Vital was chased by the police into a house and then executed as he surrendered, so criminals and their mothers ask him for bullets to miss them).

He was an interesting person. Besides his code of conduct (which some claim more current burglars don’t have) he shared a lot of his earnings with poor people from his shanty town. Once he sequestered a truck from “La Serenisima” (one of the largest dairy manufactureres) and distributed all the milk and yoghurt among the families, because he wanted poor kids to get a proper nutrition.